Dealing with a Nippy, Pushy Horse
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- Опубліковано 31 лип 2024
- While many trainers will tell you that the way to deal with a horse that nips or pushes into your space is to "give him a good smack" or "make the horse move its feet to show him who's boss", Josh Nichol has a very different way of dealing with such behaviors. In this video, shot during a clinic in the Yukon, Josh demonstrates his Relational Horsemanship approach to working with a horse that nips, pushes into his owner's space, and has a hard time staying present and focused. Watch as Josh uses clear spatial communication to help the horse settle mentally, which makes the nipping, pushiness, and distractibility simply disappear.
To learn more about Josh's unique Relational Horsemanship training and his popular online learning program, visit JoshNichol.com, #RELATIONALHORSEMANSHIP on Twitter, and @AHORSEMANSPURSUIT on Facebook and Instagram.
I recently heard Josh use a metaphor in one of his live webinars that I thought was really relevant to this kind of situation. He said something like, "You know when you are in a hallway, and someone comes striding down the hallway with purpose, obviously having something important they have to go do. You don't take that personally at all, but you do just step out of the way. This is kind of what we need to do when we define our space with our horses. It's not really about them -- it is about us having clarity, determination and purpose in ourselves and in what we do."
Perfect analogy!
A great way to feel our tendency!
I hate those people. I usually give them a nip on the shoulder as they pass and then kick out soon as they're behind me.
@@stealthartex7162 This made me laugh.....I'll step aside, but probably pin my ears
finally someone who doesnt whack their horse to get the out of their space!! good job!
Thank you!
This was really helpful first me. I have a six year old green gelding who gets right in my space as soon as he’s nervous. I swear he’d crawl up in my arms if he could. He also likes to mouth at me. This fixed it instantly. Its so different from the mare I’ve acquired who is reactive and runs away.
That is so great to hear!
We have an Icelandic who is exactly the same way! This method really works well.
Love this tutorial. Spatial awareness is closely linked to proprioception (our awareness of our own body's dimensions and properties in the context of the world around us). I think horses use these forms of perception much more than we do. It's great to see a demonstration of how to help my nipper! :) Thank you.
The "backing up" is interesting too. I guess horses "think with their feet" a lot more than we do.
Thank you, I'm glad you found this demonstration helpful!
@@JoshNicholAHorsemansPursuit Genuinely, really appreciated. No more nips for me! :D Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the world. I'll watch some more videos when I can. :)
@@buffster948 that's great to hear! You are very welcome!
Great video. We have a horse sanctuary and have to do a lot of horse training. We just got a 5 year old who is very "nippy and pushy" I hadn't heard it described as character traits before as spacial. Makes great sense. After he settles in a little, i look forward to working with him.
Glad you found it valuable! Good luck with your sanctuary and with your new 5 year old!
I have just recently started having a relationship with a horse that is not mine and I am interacting with him in a pasture with a mule. Both are super friendly, loving, intelligent, and want my attention ! I am a novice horseman to say the least lol Diamond is IN MY SPACE ..... He IS a spacial horse; I am so HAPPY I found this video !! I have been doing research to learn how to interact, understand, and deepen the relationship properly. I am working on keeping calm while trying NOT allowing the both of them to push me around as they don't have great manners. Thank you so much for your insight !!
You are very welcome!
This is what I'm going to do in the grocery store when someone invades my 6 foot social distance bubble!
Haha! Let me know what kind of reaction you get?! Maybe they will be a horse person and totally understand!!
I think horses understand the space thing better than people, I fixed a problem with my bossy mare getting in my space using this method, still cant seem to get shoppers to keep more than 6ft away!
🤣🤣🤣
Hahaha ! Yesz
Thank you. This is a great visual lesson that gives me a new perspective with our “playful” gelding.
That is great to hear! I hope this helps the two of you have fun together!
This is exactly what we need to do . Thank you Josh 💜🐴💜
Glad you found it helpful! Good luck!
Thank you for sharing this video!!! I am dealing with this with my young colt at the. moment and have resorted to hitting him for biting me -I hate it! Now I will take this advice and give it a go-THANK YOU!!!XO
So great to hear! You are welcome!
He’s looking for a leader. Putting him in his space and out of your space helps him. Focus on you more.
Yes, showing up in a way the horse can hear us is key!
Just found ya and would love to see a follow-up of you letting the owner try and you instruct. To me, this hands-on is what I feel helps my students/clients. Getting it right just one time brings the confidence the horse rider can do it. Subbing b/c I love your instructions. I have different words but use basically the same technique as you. Great video, ty.
You are very welcome! It really is important to see the work as filling a need the horse has vs. obedience. Building the relationship and showing up in space in a way that we can be heard is so important. Then trying to explain this work is an entirely different matter!
Great video. The owner, unknowingly, was holding him too closely. The lead is at least 10'. People hold horses like they're in the showring or to try to have some control. Better to let them have some space with using the lead properly. Much learning here. Thank you!
Thank you for your thoughts. Most commonly people are not really aware of their space and tend to use their aids (the lead line, reins, etc) to connect with the horse but if the horses are looking for spatial connection this will only make the problem worse. The aids should be used to support a feel but not be the primary connection.
This was very helpful. Thank you from Australia
Glad it was helpful!
Really nice. Thanks for sharing 🌞
My pleasure 😊
You are very nice a gentle. Lovely to see. Since I can't always have a stick and flag in my hands while doing chores around 5 large horses, I just raise my elbows up and down rather slowly. It one is very pushy and dominant (one of my thoroughbreds still tries to dominate me), my elbow does bump him and it doesn't hurt him nor me (elbows have very few nerves) but it is a solid bump to move him away. He's improving -- he used to try to pin me up against a wall during feeding time -- I love the big guy regardless..
Glad you found a way to support them!
Excellent video….thank you!😃
Glad you liked it!
This was so helpful! I've started working with a really pushy mare and she's not mean in any way but just has no respect for space.
Horses like this are looking for spatial clarity. A horse that wants to be in your space is looking for the conversation. You can feel no negativity in it but they are constantly looking to talk to you. You could compare it to a person that is so excited to talk and just will not stop. A spatial horse desires clear and open conversation with you and your space. The biggest thing to remember is stay present in your space for her. What often happens is we get a change from them, then drop our energy and leave our own space. For them they do not know where you went and they will come back into the space looking for you! So stay present and relax your feel rather then pull it back into yourself (which pulls them, and the cycle continues!)
Cool! Gelding games.. Learned a new term.. You are explain this so well. Great video. New understandings.
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent information! I’ve been dealing with a nippy mare.
I hope this helps you!
Great stuff! Thanks
Glad you liked it!
Be nice to everybody and kind and giving and you'll be blessed
Great moto!
I watched it earlier today. My biggest take away from the video was putting that plastic bag on the end of the whip... very effective with my 'spatially challenged' gelding
Good luck!
Thanks you for your video. You answer to a question that i had with my guilding that i was having and that i had a hard to to understand. If he would have bit me... He would have done it way sooner. I took control of his feet and trust in me and then he stopped right away because it is now clear to him that i'm a personne rassuring
I'm glad you found value in this video! and I'm also glad it helped you advance your horse relationships!
That was pretty good bro
Thank you!
Haflinger thing. It's the reason I love Morgans.
They can be space focused that's for sure!
What would you do with a horse who ignores flags/whips and stands his ground? My friend has a pushy gelding who will refuse to walk and will try to run into you with his shoulder or chest and ignores anything being waved at him.
I would take an entirely new approach. If a horse has learned to become defensive to pressures I would take an approach that wasn't pressure based. Maybe try getting his interest up with a positive reinforcement approach.
I dont own any horses but I find the psychology that goes into training them very interesting so ive watched a lot of videos about it, and i just wanted to bring up in the description it would seem that getting them moving their feet and running is really still in the same vain as this, it shows them that you are confident and not going to be under them in the pecking order so to speak,, they yeild to you, not the other way, so it seems like it works on the same psychological level, the very simple terms of respect horses understand and use to carve out a place for themselves in natural wild herds. Im not an expert but i just thought it didn't seem like the two methods were mutually exclusive, based on all the videos ive seen from different trainers.
You do make a good point, the only difference between running a horse and more subtle spatial requests has to do with a horses ability to think. When a horse is chased their thinking brain shuts off and therefore their learning ability with it. There really is nothing wrong with moving a horse around but the important part is that the horses are not scared!
@@JoshNicholAHorsemansPursuit very interesting, thank your for your insight :)
How would you get a horse to stop biting? We rescued a Red Dun mare and know nothing about her past but know that she does not like her hooves or legs messed with. If I rub her legs facing forward, she’s fine, but if I’m backwards as if I’m going to clean her hooves, she tries to bite my back. I also found out that she does not like our feet as if her previous owner used to kick her or something and will try to bite if we take too big of a step when walking next to her with a lead rope. I’ve been spending as much time with her grooming her, doing exercises, do all the feedings and give treats, clean her pens, love on her, etc... We had a farrier come out to clip and clean her hooves but gave up after she tried to bite him multiple times and kicked him once in his hand. She’s such a sweet horse too. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you!
I would change my focus on doing the work then doing things like grooming, feet, etc., to do some ground work the do a bit of grooming then back to your groundwork the pick up a foot, put the foot down and back to groundwork. Your groundwork should lay a foundation to support the space and release some of the tension. She may also have pain somewhere that may need a good qualified therapist. I would also encourage you to check out my series on UA-cam called the Saskatchewan Equine Expo to get a full download of my progressions! Good luck!
@@JoshNicholAHorsemansPursuit thank you so much 😊 We had another farrier come out and that guy said that the last farrier actually cut too far down causing her pain. That really upset me since the first farrier was recommended to us from a friend who has 20 horses that that guy takes care of. I should of known better though when he showed up and the guy had teeth like a crackhead. This new farrier we found I like a lot better, especially since he said he also does training and is willing to give me a couple lessons for free since we are novices when it comes to taking care of a horse properly. I am an animal lover and just want to give our animals a wonderful and happy life, especially when we got her from a rescue when the previous owners only used her for breeding and barely fed her. She was so skinny and just makes me cry when I think about it. I don’t see how anyone can abuse any animal...a living creature. So sad 😞
didnt expect a very insightful philosophical point about identity to come from a horse training video lolol.
Interestingly I have found that horsemanship is very connected to the way you look at life!
What would you do with a horse that does this as a form of disasociation? We have a geldning that will push into your space and get bitey in a frenetic/nervous/anxious way. If you block him from your body or use the flag he will then just go to biting and chewing on his blanket and lead rope, and never really lets down or relaxes. With our mare he is turned out with he also doesnt respond very quickly to her body language, taking quite a bit of escalation on her part to "move him".
If him reaching into your space is his plea for connection I would do what I can to create a clear boundary without "pushing" him out of my space. If he does go into this space I would work at connecting my lead rope to the tension within him and and wait till I feel the inner tension start to soften. When they go within themselves you must go within them and feel the tension, allow them to feel your inner release and wait till you feel a softening!
Any videos on longing my walker is 4 he refuses to longe ,he knows how to,
I do not have a specific longing video but releasing on small changes and not letting them get defensive is the best bet. If you feel that your horse is getting worried simply stop and ask again. Be patient and remember that your horse is not trying to be bad he is only trying to get by. Most of the time we are not very clear and this confuses them. If you work at being consistent and calm, you will work it through!
What if your horse then wants to mouth the lead rope once they are away from you. My gelding willingly leaves with space using this method, but then i lose his brain to chewing on the lead rope. He will even do all the groundwork I ask, but he continues to keep the leadrope in his mouth, which obviously disrupts some of our communication. Any ideas? The nipping is playful as you suggest, but the constant "mouthing" seems like its anxiety.
What I try to do in this case is work at gaining the ability to change their thought lose. The issue is that he is not releasing the thought of the lead rope, so if you can first get him to change his thought loose, than work at pressuring this thought when he is on the lead! Also try and set it up so that the lead is not right close to his mouth if you are able!
How can you determine whether your horse is spacial, pressure or mind?
joshnichol.com/2019/11/05/relational-horsemanship-meeting-the-needs-of-mind-space-and-pressure/?fbclid=IwAR17yRGwKEk-U20Nbn4z1khpx9NTg7q7Pfam10PQ_QSk4dBJIGfR5qCTcrU
I just had a horse I have had for 5 years,nip my arm when I was putting hay out,just an hour ago! He went through my sweat jacket and tore open my arm! What is the correct way to stop this before it gets started!?
The key is to calmly be proactive with your space, especially around feed as it can stimulate spatial conversations. It is very unfortunate that you were bit. Once it is done there is little you can do to connect to the moment for the horse but as a future approach be more aware of your spatial interaction more often. Don't make a big deal out of it but be ready to activate your space before they are right beside you with feed.
I have a 10 months old colt and he is really nippy, walks right through me and always points his ears back (more like annoyed and doing the things I ask against his will). Will this method work on him? Do you have any tips or tricks?
It’s a cold blood, so they are quite heavy and strong and he knows that I struggle and I’m a bit scared as a young woman who doesn’t has lots of strength.
When I correct him or make sure he did something disrespectful, he immediately does a counter strike such as biting and rearing…
Great question. In these situations if you feel scared or worried, I would recommend you get some help from someone that has the knowledge to support your little one and create a clear relationship with space so you have more room for error. Then as your horse makes some changes it will give you more room to learn and find yourself spatial with him!
My pony is exactly like that. My only point is that sometimes to have to work closer to the horse (showmanship for example), what do you do in that case?
Once you have built a new contract getting closer does not produce the old results. I will get the changes I need, then slowly work towards getting where I want to be to do other jobs, but be mindful to take the work with you!
@@JoshNicholAHorsemansPursuit Thank you!
I understand making the space clear. Is it not good to love and hug on your horses?
Thank you so much for asking this question! It is necessary to love and hug on your horses! It's just about timing, if your horse is struggling than its important to help them with their needs. But once they are calm, love on your horse as much as you both desire!
This was really helpful. Do you have any tips on how to deal with a horse who consistently runs through you with his shoulder thanks 😊
The biggest thing is not to get into a pattern of arguing with them about the shoulder. This builds up a defensive nature and will actually make the problem worse! Do your best to be calm and confident within your own space so you can create a more relaxed environment. Then move the hips and nose when there is no issue. This allows you to develop a new idea when there isn't a confrontation going on. Then when you do move the shoulder make sure you involved the nose. Gently walk into the nose and add the shoulder, and release when you get a small change. Build on this and you will begin to feel a different space between you. The biggest key is not to argue, leadership is not about dominance but having a feeling within you that others want for themselves!
Thank you for your advice
@@shannonmatt0615 I hope it helps!
I do this but tips on when you’re trying to halter the horse and he’s biting at you, halter everything ?😅🤦🏼♀️
I will work with them lose, work on the space and get them into a really good mindset before I work with the halter. This allows you to start in a good place. Then when you work with the halter, don't waste any time, just go ahead and get it on when you horse is in the right state of mind. When you have it on then continue to do the work you see in the video!
I let mine play nippy games with me, he never actually bites but it's fun to interact in a horsey way with him, and he stops when I ask him.
There is a pro and con to every experience we have with our horses and any one thing we let happen or encourage! Depending on the relationship this could create a fun moment or a negative one. I just encourage you to stay attentive to how your horse feels and prioritize the peace within them to the best of your ability!
@@JoshNicholAHorsemansPursuit Always do ✔️ I've been doing a lot with a Cob that used to charge at people and swung her back end around. She's a snuggly, quiet little guinea pig now. ☺️
Did you end up showing her how to do it/make her do it?
You bet, by the end she would have been doing the work on her own!
I’d like to see the owner do this, immediately after he does it. Does she learn what to do?
You bet, she did take the information and improved on her approach.I will take that into consideration in the future!
Where is this? It´s a beautiful area 😍 landscape
It's in the Yukon!
@@JoshNicholAHorsemansPursuit Thank You
So it's kind of like saying "I don't want to play and I'm not playing, back off" ?
I like to think of it as showing up with a level of clarity that allows the horse to hear and feel you!
I'm glad I trained my own horse because he doesn't kick, nip, bite or push. It helps that I didn't get him gelded. I find stallions far less annoying.
It's great that you were able to find success with your stallion! Well done.
@@JoshNicholAHorsemansPursuit It helps that he has a lovely temperament.
Is this cute horse a horse from Iceland?
.
He is a Halflinger!
And this is why I don't have a horse. I have no clue! I love them, but I have absolutely no clue.
It's really like anything though, there is lots to learn and we all need to start at the beginning of a new journey! Start with small steps and chase what you love!
This is so my problem handling my new horse but I really believe she’d be perfect with this fella doing this but she just sort of laughs at me when I activate my space😩
I encourage you to just do your best to stay consistent but don't make a big deal about it. If its something you are thinking about more often you will be able to chip away at it rather than only working on it in moments and not in others. Think about your space and that you are not receding. Even if the horse is in your space you, that's fine just observe your own tendency to recede and practice not giving up your ground energetically. Stay focused on what you can achieve and don't take on more than you can succeed at!
@@JoshNicholAHorsemansPursuit thank you so much for this. You are right. I will try to apply this x
@@kb2666 glad to help!
Why are there not more videos for us that have stallions?? Seems like nothing but gelding videos 😬
Good point, I think its because the majority of the population works with mares and geldings!
@@JoshNicholAHorsemansPursuit don't want you to think I was directing my comment specifically towards you...just as a whole on UA-cam there's not many. Too bad because I love stallions and if properly handled....make great horse's.
@@Septemberfarms no offence taken!
The horse does not view the owner as a fair and trusted leader.
She was definitely doing her best and needed to make some adjustments!
Gerry Coleman
Why make it harder than it is? Looked like some miscommunication to me. The horses are trying their best to communicate with us.
@@elisabethbjuhr3775 The horse is 'talking' horse. The people are not. Use the horse's language (body language). Then the horse will know exactly what you are 'saying'.
@@gerrycoleman7290 Yes, and they are clever and patient. Eventually us thick people get some of it. Sometimes when I work/play with my horse it is quite clear who gets trained. 😂
Can't you just tell your horse to back up when it "invades" your space? These people need some descipline on how to properly handle an animal. I wouldn't use a plastic bag on a stick with my own horse. Just push gently, look at his feet and say: Back Up! They need to be taught properly not shooed off with a plastic bag. How are you going to handle this animal when you have no pastic bags around?
These are thousand pound animals. You don't ask them to do something, you command them. Because that's what they'd do to you if they were above you.
I agree. Right now I've been training my yearling gelding about space. At first it was pressure on the chest and using the command " back." I think being consistent and regularly practicing this has worked wonders with him. Most of the time now I just have to say back. Saying that, I consider myself lucky to be able to start training him at a young age. I also would like to use the " plastic bag " in desensitizing him in the future and if I'm using it to move him away from me, I'm certain it will send mix messages.
Sorry but You have to let her work with the horse.you just talk too much😀
Haha! Yes there are moments when a person needs to do the work and moments when they need to listen and learn, these videos are about teaching and demonstrating but I appreciate that!